ACIBC Action Days
Speech by Representative Glenn Nye (D-VA-2)
Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition Annual Action Days Dinner
Washington, DC
Wednesday, April 29, 2010
I'm proud to be here with you tonight.
It is my privilege to represent Virginia's 2nd District in Congress. The 2nd District includes Virginia Beach, parts of Norfolk & Hampton, and the entire Eastern Shore.
It also includes Naval Station Norfolk – the largest naval base in the world – and the home to America's East Coast aircraft carrier fleet.
I grew up just a few miles from the Naval base.
There is no way to grow up in Hampton Roads without knowing what an aircraft carrier is and what it does.
And more importantly, there is no way to live in our community – with all of our history and tradition of service – without understanding just how important our aircraft carriers are.
For more than 70 years, U.S. Navy aircraft carriers have been the centerpiece of America's offensive and defensive capability. In that time, aircraft carriers have been a foundation for every U.S. conflict large and small - from the Pacific to Vietnam; Lebanon to Libya; Operation Desert Storm to Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
And today – thanks to the efforts of the people here in this room – the United States Navy has the world's largest carrier fleet, with eleven carriers in service and one under construction. I'm proud to say that nearly half of the world's aircraft carriers sail under an American flag.
A single carrier's air wing can perform 125 sorties a day at a distance of up to 750 nautical miles. At sea, this means just one carrier can protect more than five and a half million square miles of open ocean.
Carriers are also the hub in the strike group's command, control, communications and intelligence networks, leading the way by controlling the battle space at sea.
With more than 90 percent of global trade moved by sea, aircraft carriers are playing an ever-increasing role in protecting our economic sovereignty. Aircraft carriers and their strike forces are constantly on patrol in vital regions of the world to keep shipping lanes open and protect the interests of the United States and her allies.
Carriers can rapidly transport large, powerful forces to any region in the globe, engaging in multiple missions simultaneously and with little notice.
Today, as we all know, budgets are tighter than before.
There are those who say that the value of aircraft carriers has decreased – that America no longer needs to maintain our carrier fleet.
I sit on the House Armed Services Committee – where my job is to look at the threats America faces abroad, and make sure our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to keep us safe.
And before entering Congress, I spent nearly ten years working overseas as a civilian, serving alongside our troops in places like Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
In all those places, I can tell you that I slept a lot better at night knowing the air combat and power projection of a carrier was not too far away.
It is clear to me that our carrier fleet is essential not only to our defense, but also to our humanitarian, diplomatic and international security goals.
The ability to project air power around the globe is not a luxury – it is an absolute necessity. And in a world with constantly changing threats and unpredictable challenges, the flexibility and responsiveness of our aircraft carrier fleet is essential to our national security.
As we in Congress work to stretch our defense dollars, we must not waiver in our efforts to defend America while meeting these other needs. This includes our aircraft carriers.
Let me give you a few examples:
During a six-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt flew more than 1,700 combat missions in support of ground troops while simultaneously monitoring Iranian defense forces in the region and keeping sea lanes open and safe for civilian commercial shipping operations in the Gulf.
In 2009, the air wings of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz flew more than 6,200 sorties in support of troops on the ground in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.
The U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers are a cornerstone of America's ability to project its power and strength. Much of our might comes from our diplomatic reach. Aircraft carriers are central to that capability as well.
In March 2008, when Taiwan held presidential elections, both the USS Kitty Hawk and USS Nimitz were stationed nearby as a clear signal to the global community that the United States stood strongly behind the democratic transition of power.
Aircraft carriers enable us to reduce our dependency on other nations while pursuing our national security interests.
They enable our forces to carry out operations from international waters, avoiding the complications of securing fly-over and land-base rights from other nations.
Carriers can rapidly deploy large, powerful forces to any region in the globe, and engage in several missions simultaneously.
When disaster strikes, American altruism is unmatched. Here too we rely on our carrier fleet to aid in emergency relief efforts.
A single aircraft carrier can support a crew of 3,200, an air wing of nearly 2,500 personnel and a command staff of more than 100 personnel. During humanitarian crises, this means having a food services department capable of serving 18,000 to 20,000 meals per day, and a well-equipped, 50-bed hospital manned by six doctors, including a surgeon.
In January 2010, just a month after Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding redelivered the USS Carl Vinson to the Navy, it was deployed to Haiti to provide medical services and humanitarian assistance in the immediate aftermath of that country's devastating earthquake. During the first week of the crisis the Vinson was the center of relief operations serving as a hospital, delivering tons of food and medical supplies, and converting 400,000 gallons of sea water into drinking water through its giant desalination plant.
In June 2008, the USS Ronald Reagan was called upon to use its mobility, storage capability and air wing to deliver hundreds of thousands of pounds of relief supplies to typhoon victims in the Philippines. Arriving only 36 hours after the natural disaster hit, aircraft from the carrier group proceeded to fly for eight consecutive days, delivering more than 519,000 pounds of fresh water, rice and medical supplies.
And after the Southeast Asian tsunami in December 2004, the U.S. Navy dispatched an aircraft carrier to assist with relief operations. The carrier's surveillance aircraft conducted various operations, including search-and-rescue, as well as delivering desperately needed supplies from Bangkok to affected areas.
Ultimately, as we face new and uncertain challenges, our aircraft carriers will become even more essential.
Modern carrier capabilities give American forces the freedom from having to comply with the arbitrary requirements of potential host nations. In 2001, it took months to negotiate aircraft basing permission from the countries surrounding Afghanistan. Meanwhile, carriers stationed in international waters offered the infrastructure, equipment and staff to enable our forces to undertake their missions immediately.
And today, from combating piracy off the coast of Somalia to providing humanitarian relief to supporting troops in combat, our carriers continue to be the backbone of American national power.
I mentioned earlier that I serve on the House Armed Services Committee. One of the questions we have been addressing lately is: where do we go from here?
Recently, three documents have been released by the Administration that directly addresses the future of our nation's aircraft carrier force. The Fiscal Year 2011 budget request, Quadrennial Defense Review and 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan provide details on short, medium and long-range plans for the carrier fleet.
On February 1st President Obama sent his Fiscal Year 2011 defense budget request to Congress. Again this year, the Administration's request includes all funding required to continue work on CVN 78 and CVN 79, as well as for the CVN Refueling and Complex Overhaul.
The Quadrennial Defense Review and 30-year Shipbuilding Plan were also recently released and both contain confirmation of the Navy's intention to move aircraft carrier procurements to 5-year build cycles, beginning with CVN 79 in two years. With the exception of the period between USS Enterprise retirement in 2012 and Ford delivery in 2015, aircraft carrier force structure will remain at least 11 until 2040.
Part of the maintenance of an 11 carrier force is the continuation of Nimitz-class refueling. Keeping that program on schedule and on budget is critically important to the health of the aircraft carrier industrial base.
While I am heartened by the current plans I have seen regarding long-term stability for aircraft carriers, the reality is that the vendor base may already be in trouble -- stretched by the move to five-year centers.
That, combined with continuing demand for scarce appropriations budget dollars means it is as important as ever that you continue to work with us in Congress to reinforce the importance of the aircraft carrier to both our national defense and our national and local economies.
The Navy has requested $16.1 billion in FY11 for shipbuilding and conversion. Within this amount, $13.9 billion has been requested for 9 new ships.
The Navy's FY11 budget and 30-year shipbuilding plan recommends an average budget of $15.9 billion throughout the 30-year period.
However, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the DOD needs to invest $21 billion for ships by 2013 to carry out its future defense plans. CBO also estimates that $25 billion will be needed for ships by 2020.
Bottom line - Unless new Navy ship construction budgets are increased and sustained above the 2011 projected levels, the fleet will continue to shrink.
There's another reason why this is important – why it is essential that we maintain a regular construction and maintenance cycle for our carriers.
America's naval fleet currently numbers 285 battle force ships - a 93-year low. The fleet is also 28 ships below the requirement for a 313-ship Navy.
To reach that goal, we will need to procure 12 ‘battle force' ships each year.
This rate will provide the level of work needed to reduce the unit cost of ships, stop job losses, and stabilize and grow the industry.
Not only will this promote economic growth and stability, but a steady procurement schedule is necessary to maintain the shipbuilding, manufacturing and repair industrial base.
I am committed to the ensuring our shipbuilding labor force is fully able to spring to action in the event of a sudden need.
And here in Washington, in a city that is famous for partisan fighting, I have been proud to work closely with my friends: Congressmen Randy Forbes and Rob Wittman on the Armed Services Committee, to keep our carrier procurements and maintenance cycles fully funded.
Over the past year, I have visited Northrop Grumman and Newport News Shipbuilding multiple times.
Last November, I had the privilege of attending the keel-laying ceremony for the Gerald Ford – America's next aircraft carrier.
And I was reminded of what a truly incredible platform a United States Navy aircraft carrier is.
It is a four and a half acre, high-tech, highly-mobile, sovereign piece of the United States – that we can take anywhere in the world – complete with its own airfield, vehicle transport, hospital, and communications system.
I was also reminded of another important fact: The key to all of this incredible capability is you.
From the USS Enterprise in 1961 to the Gerald Ford, the men and women of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding & the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base have given the United States an edge that no other country enjoys.
No other platform has been as effective in enabling the United States to project power and protect our interests around the globe. Aircraft carriers should remain a cornerstone of our future defense planning.
So in conclusion, let me just say thank you – for all the great work you do for our country – and for giving our sailors the tools they need to succeed in their missions each and every day.